Art of Africa, the Pacific and the Americas - Including selections from the important Seymour and Alyce Lazar Collection
The Lempertz auction on 1 February 2023 comprises 217 lots, most from Africa and the Pacific.
The sale will include 159 lots from the Seymour and Alyce Lazar Collection. Seymour Lazar of Palm Springs was a successful entertainment lawyer turned stock trader and courageous investor who started collecting in the 1960s. He counted amongst his friends and clients Lenny Bruce, Miles Davis, Alan Ginsberg, Maya Angelou and the Psychedelic drug advocate Timothy Leary. He enjoyed assembling large series of objects - clubs, combs, spoons, etc. Many were acquired from dealers such as his long-term friend, Peter Adler, in London, and many at auction. Names listed amongst the objects’ various provenances include some of the most famous names from the history of African and Oceanic art collecting - Lt.Gen. Pitt Rivers, Harry Beasley, Helena Rubinstein, Klaus Perls, J.J. Klejman, Morris Pinto, Ernst Heinrich, Harold Rome, Stéphen Chauvet, Henri Kamer and Ben Heller.
Highlights from this group include a rare Massim shield and a Maori paddle both formerly in the collection of Lt. Gen. Pitt Rivers at the end of the 19th century (lots 136 and 100, estimates € 8/12.000 and € 3/4.000). Two fine Lobi figures, a male and a female were acquired from the renowned dealer, James Willis, of San Francisco in the 1980s (lots 16 and 22, estimates €3/5.000 and € 10/15.000). A rare New Caledonia figure was formerly in the collection of the artist, Feliks Topolski (lot 73, € 15/20.000). A fine Pende mask was in the collection of Saul and Marsha Stanoff, Tarzana, CA (lot 39, € 5/8.000). A group of 32 rare lime spatulas from the Admiralty Islands were all collected on the famous voyage of La Korrigane in 1935. One was recorded as having been carved by Fako of Drano village. It belonged to Pefen from whom the Countess E. de Ganay bought it on 14 September 1935 in exchange for three sticks of tobacco (lots 150–159, estimates € 800 –3.000). A New Britain mask comes from the Herz-Jesu Mission in Hiltrup, Germany (lot 91, € 5/8.000); a Mossi figure from the dealer Henri Kamer was included in his 1973 exhibition, Haute-Volta, in Brussels and was later published in Christopher Roy’s 1987 book, Art of the Upper Volta Rivers (lot 27, € 4/6.000). A Songye stool formerly in the collection of the Belgian photographer, Raoul Blondiau, was included in the famous 1937/38 Antwerp exhibition at the Stadsfeestzaal, Tentoonstelling van Kongo-Kunst and was later in the collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art (lot 44, € 15/20.000).
A fine group of headrests from a private collection will also feature in the Brussels sale. These were presented as gifts to the present owner by the renowned English dealer, John Hewett. They include examples from the Luba, Shona, Tsonga, Zulu and Kuba peoples as well as two examples from Fiji (lots 189–217, € 400 – 3.000).
Finally a group of fine masks and artefacts from the Congo include an exceptionally old and rare Kuba female Ngady amwaash mask, acquired from the Antwerp dealer, Nadya Levi in the 1970s. This type of mask is one of only three royal masks performed by the Kuba. Dating back to the First Dynasty, this type was commissioned by Queen Ngokadi who wanted to enhance the role of women. (lot 167, € 20/22.000).
Auction Dates
Auction 1216 - Arts of Africa, the Pacific & the Americas
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 0221/92 57 29–30.
Edgar Abs
Press and public relations
Cologne, Dezember 2022